DeerFever.com

A 63-year-old woman was gored by a buck mule deer near Florissant on Mon., Oct. 12. Joan Nutt was at the home of her sister at 893 Co. Rd. 31, around 5 p.m. when the attack occurred.

Nutt’s sister’s family was familiar with the deer and said it was a frequent visitor to their property. Nutt apparently called the deer, in an attempt to pet it. The deer got close, lowered its head, and charged the woman.

A motorist on CR 31 spotted the deer stomping her and stopped to assist. The passerby was able to scare the deer off and contact the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.

When medical services arrived, they reported the buck continued to come back to the area while they were tending to the woman. “We had to constantly harass it away from us,” one of them said.

Nutt was transported to the Pikes Peak Regional Medical Center in Woodland Park where she was treated for lacerations caused by the deer’s antlers and hooves. Most injuries were to her elbow and lower arm, but she also had cuts and bruises on her hands, upper leg, stomach, and hip.

Nutt said she had gone out in the yard to call the deer so she could pet it when it “started to come on her.” She grabbed hold of an antler to try to fend it off, but it knocked her down before she could get away.

A Teller County Sheriff’s Deputy reported the buck remained on scene while Colorado Division of Wildlife Officers were on route. The deputy described it as a young buck with a broken left antler.

When wildlife officer Aaron Flohrs from Colorado Springs arrived, he said the deer walked right up to him within a few feet. Given what the buck had done to the woman, Flohrs prepared to defend himself and the buck backed away. “There was no direct evidence Nutt was feeding the animal, but this deer’s behavior was a clear indication that someone in the area had tried to domesticate a wild deer and treat it as a pet,” said Flohrs.

The deer was tranquilized and later euthanized prior to sending it to the DOW wildlife health lab in Fort Collins for examination. The deer was deemed a threat to human safety.

“No matter how many times authorities warn people about the dangers of feeding wildlife, some well intentioned people do it, and end up getting injured when the animal turns on them,” said Shaun Deeney of the DOW. “In this case, Mrs. Nutt was very fortunate a Good Samaritan stopped by to help her. A large buck deer can severely injure, or even worse, kill a person in a few seconds.”

“While habituated deer can appear docile, these big game animals are extremely powerful. In almost every case when people try to “help” wildlife and feed them, it always turns out bad for the animal,” said Deeney.

Nutt’s brother-in-law, Ervin Stohl, told the DOW this particular buck came to their house every afternoon. He said there is usually a bunch of females nearby. Stohl said, “There were no does today and the buck was angry.”

“Wild animals are not pets, and do not experience feelings of ‘friendliness’ towards people,” Deeney explained. They will accept food and tolerate humans, but they never actually bond with humans. “No matter how docile they appear, there is always a threat they will turn on someone.”

Wildlife professionals warn that deer or elk can be dangerous anytime, but the males are extremely dangerous when the mating season approaches.

Every year, there are cases of people being injured by deer in the United States. In September, a 47-year-old woman was injured when she was attacked by an elk near Evergreen, Colo. She spent several days in the hospital with a broken pelvis. The elk involved in the incident could not be located.

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